The MONSTER Inside of Us: Stranger Things Fanfic AU
by ArturoG9221
Summary: Alternate universe of Stranger Things Season 3. Hopper becomes flayed instead of Billy, and the stakes are much higher for Eleven and her friends.
1. Chapter 1

The MONSTER Inside of Us:

Stranger Things FacFiction

**Chapter 1: All Is Fair in Eggos and Love**

"Hop! Where are the eggos? I'm starving!"

It was noon. The weather outside was bright and sunny. Beautiful, as it should be during the Summertime. Eleven had been out late last night at Mike Wheeler's house, where they talked and talked, and definitely did not make out for half an hour.

"I put them right there in the freezer! Bottom right side. Come on! Use your eyes girl! Don't you have like, special powers or something?"

Hopper took in Eleven as his own kid after the events two years ago. It was too dangerous for her to live in the real world all alone. Especially after that creature, that… that _thing_, whatever it was, tried to kill her and her friends… And who can forget what happened a year ago? Many new creatures and animals that had come out of nowhere… Eleven was safe in Hopper's hands.

Hopper was already sitting at the table, reading a newspaper. Eleven quickly heated up her eggos, grabbed some syrup and a fork, and sat across from him. A hush of silence came upon the cabin. A strong tension could be felt in the room. Both Hopper and Eleven knew that they had wanted to say, but refused to let the words escape the captivity of their minds. It went on like this for several minutes, until finally, Hopper broke the silence.

"So, how did it go last night kiddo? Did you have fun?

"Umm, yeah we did actually. Mike showed me his music. Some band called The Police? The name reminded me of you." She gave a quick smile at him, then quickly returned to eating her breakfast.

Hopper had been the Chief of Police at Hawkins, Indiana for many years now. Before the events of 1983, Hawkins had been fairly quiet and mundane. However, since then, the town has sprouted into a place of fear, mystery, and controversy. Will Byers, a friend of Eleven, was kidnapped and abducted by a mysterious creature referred to as the _Demogorgon_, which comes from the ever-popular Dungeons and Dragons board game. The creature was tall, with sharp claws and a humanoid body. Its head resembled opened flower petals, with dozens of rows of razor-sharp teeth in each segment. Eleven, through the use of her telekinetic powers, was forced to save the town and destroy the creature. With the powers of her mind, she disintegrated the Demogorgon into a thin mist and vanished it away. The threat didn't stop there, however. Last year, it was revealed that many creatures like the Demogorgon lived in another dimension, _The Upside Down._

Will Byers had spent a long time in The Upside Down after being abducted. As a result, he was infected and acted as a sort of host for the king of the hellish dimension, the Mind Flayer. The ruler had intentions of completely dominating the Earth, and would use Will as his pawn. Through a number of events, a gate between the two dimensions was opened and created, allowing more lethal creatures to lurk in the real world. In a dramatic twist, Eleven and Hopper sealed the gate, and Will was able to be purged of the sinister evil that controlled him. The monsters had been defeated, and everyone could now live peaceful lives. Or so they thought…

"I'm happy to hear that, kiddo. Just don't do anything stupid with Mike, okay? You two are still very young. I swear if he touches you…"

"Hop! Don't. It's okay! Mike's really sweet and he makes me happy. You don't have to worry, I promise."

Mike Wheeler has known Eleven since the beginning. He and his friends, Dustin and Lucas, discovered her after their very own friend Will went missing one night. It was quickly discovered that Eleven wasn't an ordinary girl. She could move things with her mind. Although Dustin and Lucas quickly labeled her as a freak, Mike stood up for her and thought that she was a cool, unique person. Mike witnessed Eleven saving him and his friends from the Demogorgon. He was there to see her kill it. There was nothing that could stop his love for her. And because Mike was there for her, Eleven started to have mutual feelings of affection for him.

"Okay. I have to go to work now. Be safe, and I'll see you later on. No leaving the house okay? It's too dangerous out there for you..." said Hopper as he grabbed his hat on his way to the door.

"Okay, bye Hop! Be safe," replied Eleven.

Nothing could get in the way of this Summer of 1985. Of course, this would be true for people who were ordinary and did ordinary things. But this, this is no ordinary story. This story has always been strange, and would continue to get stranger as time went on.

**Chapter 2: Friendship Ties**

It is proven that meaningful relationships are vital to a person's happiness.

This was especially true for Eleven, who had spent the majority of her life locked inside a laboratory where various scientists performed experiments on her to learn more about her special abilities. But that wasn't important now. What mattered was that she was finally happy, and was about to spend the day with her friends.

"Mike? Hello? Mike? Are you there?" asked Eleven though her walkie-talkie.

"El? Yeah, it's me, Mike! Sorry, I'm running late, I'll be there in ten minutes! replied Mike.

It was always custom for Mike to run late whenever it came to interactions with his new girlfriend. This was his first time in a relationship, which would explain his many mistakes as a boyfriend.

Fifteen minutes later, Mike showed up to Hopper's cabin to pick Eleven up. He wore a white T-shirt with red stripes going across it, and navy blue jeans. Eleven wore a bright yellow shirt with sky-blue baggy jeans. The pair hopped on Mike's bike and made their way to the newest point of interest in Hawkins: The newly-opened Starcourt Mall.

This mall was the epitome of what a teenage hangout spot should look like. Restaurants could be seen left and right, and stores selling different kinds of merchandise never seemed to go away. This would be the first time that the kids would get to see the mall in its entirety, for they all promised their friend Dustin that they would wait until he got back from summer camp to visit the famed spot. Today was the day that he would be getting back home from Camp Know Where, a camp for brilliant kids who are interested in science and technology.

Mike and Eleven swiftly arrived at the mall. They were met by Lucas Sinclair, who was the only African-American kid of the group, his new girlfriend Maxine "Max" Mayfield, and Will Byers, who was mentioned earlier.

"Took you lovebirds long enough," sighed Lucas. "Glad you guys are here safe though!"

"Yeah for sure! Nice to see you El!" exclaimed Max. As the only two girls in the group, the two have bonded over the summer, and have even had sleepovers with one another.

"Yeah yeah yeah, so when does Dustin get here?" asked Mike.

Lucas replied, "He told us he would be getting here Friday at approximately 1 PM. It's 2:30 now. So either this guy is messing with us, or he's just really late."

Suddenly, a green minivan rolled up to the front of the parking lot. The car door quickly opened, then shut a millisecond later.

"Dustin!" screamed Will.

"Dustin! You made it man, you made it!" the group shouted.

"Hell yeah! I'm alive! Damn, I've missed you guys! It's been a long time." Dustin was elated to be reunited with his second family. They've all been through a lot together, and it was a bit strange to be away from them; away from the mysterious city of Hawkins.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's see what this place is about!" Dustin pushed the group aside and made his way into the mall.

All of the kids were in shock. Their mouths remained open, their eyes as wide as the moon.

_So this is what all the fuss is about, _thought Mike.

Like little kids in a candy shop, the group found themselves walking slowly around the first floor of the mall. Various sounds erupted from this busy place. Teenagers laughing, kids yelling and screaming, and the mere empty chatter of everyone inside. Smells of butter-scotch ice cream and corn dogs quickly filled the air.

"Woah… This is amazing."

"I know, right Lucas? This is crazy dude. I can't believe this place has been here the whole time." replied Will.

"This definitely beats playing D&D all night in my basement," said Mike.

Will couldn't believe what he had just heard. "Hey cool it, buddy. D&D is still loads of fun. You don't mess with the best strategy game of all time."

"Sure whatever," retorted Mike.

The crew went from store to store, window-shopping and enjoying corn dogs and pretzels as they walked by. They visited various stores, such as The Gap, RadioShack, and JCPenny.

But at the corner of her eye, Eleven saw something, something terrifying. She was frozen stiff, and could not speak a word.

"What is it El? Hello? Is everything okay?" inquired Mike.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 3: An Unfortunate Detour**

"Kiddo! What the hell are you doing here?"

Standing there in front of Eleven and the kids was the daunting Hawkins Chief of Police himself. Standing there in his spiffy uniform with his gleaming police badge and hat, he adopted a facial expression that was filled with confused anger.

"Oh. My friends wanted me to come and check out the new mall, and I didn't want to say no. So I thought I would come and check it out, I didn't think it was that big of a deal…" whispered Eleven with wide eyes.

"It is a big deal! I can't risk you being here, who knows what could happen to you! This nonsense stops now. I'm taking you home-"

"Hop. Hop, come in." It was voice emanating from his radio. "Hop, this is urgent!" Carefully taking his time, Hopper pulled the radio up to his mouth. His eyes remained glued on Eleven.

"Yes? What is it?" he asked. _What could be happening? It's barely past noon._ Hopper thought to himself.

"There's been a reported disturbance by the Brimborn Steel Works. We're swamped with reports here. We were wondering if you could go and check it out." Hopper was silent. He had no intention of doing his job right now. Instead, he wanted to try to be the good father that he's always wanted to be and take his daughter home, where it was safe. His paranoia was getting the best of him. But what if being a good father meant that he should begin to trust El a little more, and give her the space that she so desperately craves. After all, nothing bad had happened in a while. And, she's also allowed to leave the house to go and see Mike, where she's been safe so far. Maybe this was opportunity knocking. He thought long and hard and decided to open the door.

"10-4. I'll be on my way," he spoke into the radio. "You're lucky this time, kid. I'll only allow this once, so enjoy it. I was here to speak to some citizens who were concerned with some infestation problems here, so just be careful. Just make sure you get home safe." Hopper quickly walked to Mike and stood directly over him. Looking him in the eye, he said, "Take care of her. I know she can handle her, but just stay vigilant. Nothing can happen to her."

"Y-yes, sir," breathed Mike.

Hopper quickly dashed out of the mall and stepped into his Chevrolet K5 Blazer. He immediately began to speed to the steelworks. He wanted to know what all the fuss was about. As he approached the abandoned steel mill, he noticed there was a lone car parked outside. There were noticeable scratches and dents on the side of the car that faced the mill. A dark liquid seemed to be oozing from the hood of the car. It flowed swiftly, as though it were alive. Hopper didn't know what to make of the situation…

CRASH! A large thud could be heard near the entrance of the mill. A few seconds passed by, and then again, KERBLAM! A thunderous boom rang inside of Hopper's ears.

"What in the world… What is going on here…" muttered Hopper. He slowly walked to the entrance. Before opening the door, he pulled his pistol out of his holster. Who knew what was on the other side…

But before he could open it, a demented old woman in her sixties quickly opened the door on the opposite side of Hopper and began to scream.

"HELP ME! YOU'VE GOT TO HELP ME! THEY'RE COMING FOR ME AND THEY'LL COME FOR YOU TOO!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs.

"Whoah whoah whoah, hold on there lady. What's going on? Who's coming for you?" questioned Hopper.

"It's those creatures, those ferocious rats with their sharp fangs and ugly faces… I drove here to check this place out for myself… As soon as I parked my car, they came from behind the building and began to attack me! I ran as fast as I could and decided to wait it out here in the lobby. But we must leave now- AHH! IT'S GOT ME! IT'S GOT ME!" one of the black rats remained attached to her left ankle, its teeth fully enveloped in her flesh, staying there like an anchor.

Hopper took his gun and aimed it at the rat. There was no way he could shoot it and not hurt the woman at the same time. He took his gun and tried to smack the rat off of her. The rat was launched several feet away from the pair, but then five more emerged from the shadows within the bottom floor of the mill. They raced up the steps, and crawled up the woman's body and began to gnaw at her face. She screamed hysterically, as all six rats tore the pieces of flesh from her face, bit by bit. The woman collapsed, and Hopper tried to help her in an instant. He brushed the rats off of her face, and shot each one, killing them one-by-one with his pistol. Blood emerged from the woman, as she lay lifelessly on the floor. Within a matter of seconds, all of the rats let out a high-pitched screech and combusted spontaneously. Their remains turned into that goo-like substance that was found on the car outside, and it began to slide across the floor, and down the stairs.

_I need to get out of here. This isn't right. _Hopper darted for the door. But before he could escape, a large tentacle emerged from the bottom floor and wrapped itself around Hopper's legs. He hit the floor and began to slide down the stairs, as the tentacle relentlessly pulled him down.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 4: Startled Nest**

"Mmm! This ice cream tastes so good!" exclaimed Eleven.

"I told you it would! Glad you like it!" Mike replied.

Mike and Eleven were bonding over some scoops of chocolate ice cream from Scoops Ahoy. They ran into Steve Harrington, who works there, and shared a few words with him. Dustin, who was especially fond of him, stayed at the ice cream hangout to chat with his friend. Lucas, Mike, Eleven, Will, and Max stayed together. They continued to explore all of the corners of the mall, enjoying their youth while they could.

With much enthusiasm, Lucas told the group, "This place is amazing man! We should definitely come here often!" He was holding Max's hand, and was proud of the fact that he was able to have Max as his girlfriend. Mike also firmly gripped Eleven's left hand. His palms were sweaty, but he was happy that the whole ordeal with Hopper was over.

"It was scary running into Hop here," said Mike. He and Eleven had shifted themselves to the back-end of the group.

"I know, I'm sorry, Mike. You know how he is. But at least he was able to leave me here with you and everyone else! I think he's really starting to open up to you." replied Eleven.

"Umm, yeah! Sure… I hope everything is okay with him though. It seemed like something pretty serious was going on."

"I'm sure he's alright, he always is. Nothing could ever happen to him, he's really smart and strong."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that we of all people should know that this city is anything but normal… But yeah, you're probably right. I'm just overthinking. Maybe we should start heading home? It's almost five, and I promised my mom I would be home by then. She wanted to make sure that I was home for 'family dinner' or whatever."

"Yeah that sounds good! I'm ready to go."

The crew of kids made their way back to the front of the mall.

"Bye everyone! Be safe!" said Will, as he got into his mom's car. His mother, Joyce, is also extremely protective of him, much like how Hopper is with Eleven.

"Hey, Mike, is it okay if Max takes me home? I'm still kind of worried about Hop, and I don't want to be home alone." asked Eleven.

"Sure, that's fine! Bye El, I'll see you soon!" said Mike.

"Max? Can you take me home, and maybe stay with me for a little bit?" Eleven's voice was quivering. She began to think the worst, and really hoped that Hopper would be home soon. She couldn't bear to be alone with her thoughts and any wild imaginations that may storm the inside of her head.

"Sure, I'd love to! I brought some comics with me too! You know I've always got some Wonder Woman on me. We can read for a bit!" replied Max.

Lucas and Mike biked themselves home, while Max gave Eleven a ride home. Dustin was still inside with Steve, chatting about who knows what. But on the other side of town, the horrific nest at the steel works was beginning to awake from its slumber…

Hopper opened his eyes. He was laying down on the floor, covered entirely in a black gloop. All around him, he could see other lifeless bodies on the floor as well. He sat up. On the other side of the room was a malevolent figure who reeked of death and despair. It was the Mind Flayer. It had an elongated head, and a mouth that contained circular rows of razor sharp teeth. It towered over 30 feet tall, and took up the entirety of the lower level of the steel works. Attached to its body were six wide legs, and on the back of the creature appeared to be many "vines" that could extend to great lengths. In the middle of its mouth, another tentacle could be seen, as if it were its tongue.

Hopper was in shock. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What," he was trying to find the right words. "What the hell do you want, you freak…" He tried to stand on his feet, but immediately fell to the floor after the Mind Flayer's tentacle pushed him down. More tentacles sprang out, and wrapped themselves around Hopper's wrists and ankles, totally immobilizing him. The creature let out a low, shriveled cry.

"What do you think you're… No… get away. Get away from me. GET AWAY FROM ME!" In an instant, the tentacle from within the monster's mouth dashed outside of it, and attached itself to Hopper's mouth and nose. All of its toxins and mind-numbing particles shot themselves into his bloodstream. The monster's DNA was now flowing and circulating through him. Hopper's muffled screams could be heard. He was writhing in pain, and squirming to try to be free. But he was unsuccessful. After a couple of minutes, the Mind Flayer let go. His mission was complete. Hopper was no longer the beloved sheriff of Hawkins. He would now be known as the flayed. The right-hand man to the gritty Mind Flayer.

**Chapter 5: The Crazy Girl**

Max and Eleven were transported to the unique world of comic books. They sat there on Eleven's bed, and ruffled slowly through the pages. They both were having a good time, but Hopper could not leave Eleven's mind. _Hopper usually doesn't take this long to respond to situations… And when he does, he drops by the house to let me know that everything is fine, and then he'll leave again, then return shortly after. Something isn't right._ It was already 8:30 at night, and still no sign of the Chief of Police.

"Look, right here, on page 57! This is my favorite scene in the series. It's so epic! Look at how Wonder Woman grabs him, and then totally annihilates him! How crazy! Man, you've gotta love her!" exclaimed Max. El just sat there, with her right palm held under her chin.

"You think that's crazy too, right El?" Max asked. "Right, El? Hello? Are you even paying attention?" said Max again, this time with more attitude and ferocity.

"Yeah, right," El sighed. She knew that her lack of enthusiasm was having a negative impact on Max's joyful emotions, like the way a dark grey cloud comes and rains on a beautiful family picnic. El hated being the ugly cloud, but she just couldn't help it… Hopper was all that she truly had. Sure, she had Mike and all her other friends, but Hopper was different… He was the parent she never thought she could have but so desperately wanted.

Max stared long at El. She looked like a lost little puppy. Although she did feel sympathetic towards her, she was in no mood to deal with her or her emotions. She did not want to let her bring down what was a great and fun day.

" Look, I get it. You're worried about Hop. I'm sure he's fine. I think you're just overreacting. He's a cop, right? It's his job to make sure things are okay, even if it takes a couple of hours." said Max.

"Yeah, I know. But it's just… this time it feels different. This isn't like him. He's pretty big on communication, and he makes sure that I always let him know what is going on. And he does the same for me. Something is wrong. Very wrong."  
"He'll be home soon! Just relax dude,"

"Relax? How can I relax?"

"Look, you know what? I think you're the crazy one here. You worry too much. I think it's best if I just go home and leave you alone to your thoughts. I don't really want to be in the same room as you right now."

"Fine, go ahead and leave. I don't care."

Without saying another word, Max grabbed her comics, her bag, and headed for the door. A few seconds later, her bike could be heard, as she made her way home. El had lied to herself. She actually cared a great amount that Max left. Now she was worried, sad, and all alone. She couldn't bear the silence of the house. She reached for her walkie-talkie, and tried to call Mike.

"Mike? Are you there?" questioned Eleven. A few minutes went by. Finally, Mike responded. He picked up his walkie-talkie, and went to the corner of his room.

"Hey El! Sorry, I can't really talk right now! In the middle of family dinner, remember?"

"Boom! I told you that was a dumb move Lucas! Ha!" another voice shouted from Mike's walkie-talkie. Another voice responded.

"Shut up Will! You would've done the same thing!"

"Umm, is that Lucas and Will? What's going on?" Eleven asked. Mike gave an ugly look to the duo of boys who were sitting behind him. Covering the walkie-talkie, he said, "Guys! I said it keep low! What the hell!" "Sorry dude! It's just that Lucas got into some deep trouble because he's so stupid!" replied Will. El had heard everything they said through the walkie-talkie.

"I'm sorry, babe. I know, I lied, and I shouldn't have. It's just, the guys really wanted to do a campaign of D&D today. I didn't want you to feel bad knowing that I was leaving you to go hang out with the guys. Will's been saying how he feels left out now that Lucas and I have girlfriends, and so we wanted to make it up to him today. I was afraid of how you would respond, so I lied. I'm sorry…" Mike said. It was as if Eleven's heart had been shattered into a million little pieces. She couldn't speak. No words would come out. It felt like the world did a complete 180 on her. Everyone seemed to be against her. She couldn't catch a break, and now there was no one there to help her. "Hello? El?"

"Bye Mike," El said softly. Her vision became extremely blurry with tears. A single tear ran down her cheek. She stood there looking blankly at the wall. She didn't know what to do.

**Chapter 6: "Daddy, Are You Out There?"**

Prior to this Summer, Eleven wasn't really adept at using her words to communicate her thoughts. What helped her was long sessions of speech therapy, as well as lessons from her friends and Hop. In the past, however, she would rely on her telepathic powers to figure out what was going on in the world. She decided now was the time to use them again.

While static played on the living room TV, she sat down in front of it and tied a blind fold over her eyes. _This is my only hope of finding Hop,_ she thought. She was effortlessly transported into another dimension, where space and time were nonexistent. "Hopper? Hello?" she began to whisper. No response. She walked around in the void, desperate for an answer. After walking for a couple of more seconds, she found Hopper's police hat lying on the floor. She picked it up, and her heart began to race. _I've got to keep going. I can't give up._ El kept walking, until she eventually came across his car. She saw it driving to the Starcourt Mall. She questioned, _why would he go there again?_ But before she could make her way to the mall, Hopper came up behind her, and grabbed her shoulders.

"Where I'm going, you can't go, little lady. Don't even think about it. I'm going to completely destroy this city, and make it perfect. I'll terminate the cancer of this planet: humans." Hop didn't look like himself. Black veins emerged all across his face, neck, and hands. Eleven knew that this wasn't really him; something terrible had taken place.

El was terrified, yet relieved at the same time. She was like an astronaut who had landed on Mars, excited because new information had been found, yet mortified due to the fact that what came next was unknown.

She woke up, and found herself back in the cabin living room. Using her sleeve, she wiped the drop of blood away from her nose. "I'm coming for you, Dad. I'm coming for you." she whispered.

Before leaving the house, El noticed that Hopper's door to his room was still open. She went to close it, but instead she noticed a picture frame was on the floor. Glass was scattered all across the floor, but the actual picture remained in one piece. She picked it up. It was a photo of Hopper, his ex-wife Diane, and their child, Sara. After immediately touching it, Eleven was transported to a flashback memory. The three of them were at the city park. Hopper was pushing Sara on the swingset while Diane joyfully watched.

"Higher Daddy! Higher!" Sara exclaimed. She had the biggest smile on her face. Hopper pushed a little harder, and watched as his little girl soared higher and higher. He then stopped her, and picked her up. He gave her a soft kiss on her forehead, and she kissed him on his cheek.

"I love you, honey. So much." Hopper said softly.

"I love you too Daddy!" Sara responded. Eleven watched the event unfold from a distance. She had never seen this side of Hopper before. He only briefly mentioned his daughter before, but he never liked talking about her. Then in a matter of seconds, Eleven was transported to another memory. She was in a hospital room. Sara was now bald, and laid somberly in the hospital bed. Hopper sat beside her, and read a book to her. His tone was excited, while Sara looked lifeless and depleted of all energy. Then all of a sudden, the electric monitor began to beep faster and faster.

"No! Honey, honey! Sara don't you leave me!" Hopper shouted. Diane came to grab him and pull him away, as a swarm of doctors came into the room. They tried to perform CPR on Sara to stabilize her. Hopper could only watch. After a couple of seconds that seemed like an eternity, she flatlined. "She's gone," a doctor said in a somber tone. Hopper couldn't believe it. He and Diane began crying uncontrollably.

The memory was over, and Eleven was now back in Hopper's room. A stream of tears erupted from her eyes.

**Chapter 7: Redemption**

Eleven knew that calling Mike would be helpless. So she decided to walk all the way to his house, which was a 30 minute endeavor. When she arrived, she knocked on the front door. Mike's mom quickly opened the door.

"Hello? How can I help you?" she asked.

"I need to speak with Mike." Eleven promptly responded. Within a few seconds, Mike came outside.

"Hey El… Are you upset?" Mike asked.

"I don't care about that right now. I need you and your friends to come with me to the mall. Hopper is in trouble we need to save him." Eleven said sternly. With some further explanation, Mike was convinced that something was wrong. So he gathered Will and Lucas, and the four of them biked to the Starcourt Mall. On the way there, Lucas spoke to Max through his walkie-talkie and told her to meet them there as well.

Upon arriving to the mall, the group of kids quickly found Dustin and Steve.

"Something bad is going to happen right now in a couple of minutes," Eleven was speaking to Steve. "You need to find a way to get everyone out of the mall, right now!"

It was already 11:00 at night., but there were still a good amount of people at the mall. Using his loud voice and the help of his co-workers, they were all able to convince the people in the mall that the mall needed to be closed early tonight. Max then came up to El.

"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. I know I'm a bad friend and that I let you down." Max said.

"It's okay. I understand. Don't worry. Let's focus on the task at hand." Eleven replied.

Fifteen minutes had passed. Then, in the distance, a loud stomping sound could be heard. The Mind Flayer. A couple of seconds later, a car could also be heard parking outside of the mall. Hopper stepped through the doors. The Mind Flayer came crashing through the ceiling, revealing its ugly head and terrifying demeanor.

"Quick, everyone run!" Mike exclaimed.

"What the hell is that?" Lucas shouted. Will was frozen. He could barely move.

"It's… it's the Mind Flayer. It's what… possessed me last year. He's come to finish what he started." Will said.

Everyone immediately scattered. Hopper came running in and immediately tackled Eleven to the ground.

"El! NO!" Mike screamed at the top of his lungs. He tried rushing to her but then the Mind Flayer used one of its tentacles to grab him, then launched him across the atrium of the mall.

"You shouldn't be here," Hopper told El. "Now I'm going to have to destroy you." He appeared like he did in the vision that El had. Only this time, he looked angrier.

"Guys, let's distract the Mind Flayer! Find anything that you can and throw it at it!" Dustin said. They began hurling chairs and different metal objects at the monster. The Mind Flayer was phased by all the objects that were hitting it. It was distracted, and began to try to capture the children.

Hopper was now struggling Eleven on the ground. Both of his heavy hands were wrapped around her throat, and she could hardly breathe. But then Eleven grabbed Hopper's hand, and he began to see the flashback of himself with Diane and Sara at the park.

"You were there, at the park," Eleven said. "She had thin, blonde hair. She wore a blue sweater, her favorite color. Her eyes were a bright ocean blue. She was so pretty. Unlike anyone else." Hopper released his grip. His eyes had gotten softer. Tears began to swell up in his eyes. Then El showed him the memory at the hospital.

"You always loved reading to her. The chemotherapy made her lose her hair, but you didn't care. On that day, they tried so hard to save her, but all you could do was watch in pain. Then you heard the flat line, and your life was changed forever." Hopper began sobbing. His eyes were back to normal, and so was everything else about his appearance.

"She was only seven…" Hopper sighed. He was now hugging Eleven while uncontrollable tears ran down his face.

"I know, Hop. It's okay. She was beautiful. Really beautiful. And I know she would be so proud of you…" Eleven responded. After the sweet embrace, Hopper let go. He immediately darted to his car, and came back with his shotgun. He began firing at the Mind Flayer. The volley of bullets hit the monster, and with each shot, it began to dissipate. He had also brought some lighter fluid, and gave it to Steve.

"Pour it on him!" Hopper told Steve. Steve poured the fluid all along the feet of the Mind Flayer. Pulling a lighter from his pocket, Hopper tossed it into the beast. Immediately, it was set on fire. It let out a high pitched squeal, and began to shrink in size. Only black, lifeless goop remained on the floor. It was finally over.

"I love you, kiddo. So much…" Hopper said to Eleven.

"I love you too, Daddy."


End file.
